Sickle-sharpener.



G. 0.. HATHAWAY & F. W. HUPPAKBR.

SIGKLE SHARPBNBR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,.1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

7 idlfldj/s, a122," lnvento rs Attorney;

Witnesses 0. 0. HATHAWAY & F. W. HUFFAKER.

SIGKLE SHARPENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Witnesses Attorneys MBIA PLANDOIIAPH CO.,WASHINUTDN D C0.10. HATHAWAY & P. W. HUFFAKER.

SIGKLE SHARPBNER.

11 11110111011 FILED JULY 12, 1911.

1,018,051. Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

3SHEETS-SHEBT s. v

lnvent'ors .I 7 I o 1 Attorneys STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES O. HATHAWAY A1\TD FRANCIS WM. HUFFAKER, OF BIG TIMBER, MONTANA.

SIGKLE-SHARPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES O. HATH- AWAY and FRANCIS W. HUFFAKER,citizens "of the United States, residing at Big Timber, in the county ofSweet Grass, State of Montana, have invented a new and useful Sicklesharpener, of which the following is a specification. This inventionrelates to an improvement in sickle sharpeners, the primary object ofthe invention being the provision of a sharpening device, which can beattached to a mowing machine, to sharpen the blades while the mower isbeing used or whereby the blade may be removed from the machine andsharpened, it being necessary in sharpening said blades, to secure thereciprocatory movement obtained while mowing.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of aself-adjusting spring held sharpening means for each blade so positionedas to sharpen one edge of its respective blade as the blade is moved inone direction and to sharpen the other edge of the same blade when theblade is returned in the opposite direction.

A still further object of the present invention is provision of a seriesof individual sharpening devices of peculiar shape to engage the fullcutting edges of their respective blades, and to whet or sharpen them bythe movement of the blades in the two directions, as when being operatedfor mowing, combined with a means for actuating the cutter blades toaccomplish this action.

lVit-h the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds. the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the drawings :-Figure l is a side elevation of the complete devicefor sharpening detached blades. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, thecentral portion being broken away to shorten the machine the same as inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail side elevation of one of the sharpeners,dotted lines illustrating the swinging movement of the same away fromthe base and blade. Fig. 4: is a rear view of a number of thesharpeners. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the sharpener, showingits mountings at each end. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are detail views of thespring actuated end of the sharpener. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional Viewthrough the moving knife support of a mowing machine adjacent to thesharpeners. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a modified form of sharpener.Fig. 11 is an end view thereof. Fig. 12 is a top plan View showing thesharpener attached to the cutter bar of a mowing machine. Figs. 13, 14and 15 are detail views of the sharpener and its connections, as usednext to the sickle head.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the mowing or cutter blade, Bits knob attaching device of usual construction, C a split clamping arm,D a small pinion for transmitting a reciprocating movement to the armand blade, and E the main power gear, operated by handthrough the crankThe main frame or table comprises the parallel strips 1, 2 and 3, whichsupport the blade A, so that it may be reciprocated, the plate 1 withits lip 4:, with the strip 1', forming a guide or receptacle for saidblade A. The braces 5 are employed to stop the jar next to the sicklehead. As all of the sharpeners F are arranged in multiple, a descriptionof one will suflice for all, they all being pivotally mounted upon thelongitudinal rod G, and are held in locked position by means of theclamps 6, which engage the lip or flange 7, of the upright longitudinalplate 7. Carriedby the strip at the underside thereof and arrangedsimilar to the. guard-fingers of a mower, are the guard-fingers 5, whichact with the blades of the cutter in assisting the whetting action ofthe sharpeners 16, as will presently appear. Pivoted upon the rods G, isthe frame 9, of each sharpener, this frame having mounted therein thecoiled spring 13, which normally exerts a tension downwardly upon theblock 14, which has swivelly mounted therein the round head 15, of thesharpener 16, the lug 14, being connected upon the hooked rod 11, whosehook passes over the top of frame 9, and engages the right-angled plate12, the set-screw 10, regulating the tension of the spring 13, withinthe frame 9. The other end of the shaft that carries the sharp ener 16,is recessed as at 17 and is held against longitudinal movement withinthe sleeve 19, by the set-screw 18, the said sleeve 19, being swivellyconnected to the lug 20, heldto the plate 7, by means of nuts 21. Bythis construction, and the peculiar concaved contour of the spoolshapedsharpeners 16, it will be seen that these sharpeners, which are one toeach blade of the cutter bar, will act upon the two cutting edges of thesaid blades, as the bar is reciprocated, and that by reason of thespring 13, the sharpeners are yieldingly and cushionedly held toward theblade, and will adjust itself to the irregularities thereof, occasionedby the angle of the cutting edges or the thickness of the body of theblade.

By reference to Figs. 10 and 11, it will be seen that a convex sharpener16, may be used, in which case, the lugs 20, are pivoted to the rods G,the bracing frame 22, is also supported from said lugs 20, and theframes 9, which are similar to the frame 9, heretofore described, areidentical, except that their position is reversed, and are held fast bymeans of clamps 6, to the top of the table. By this means the front endof the sharpeners 16. will rise and fall, and not the rear ends as inthe other case.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 12, the sharpeners, are mounted for use upon amowing machine, and when so mounted the sharpener supporting frame H, isconnected by clamps 2 1 to the cutter bar 25, of the mower, while theguard-fingers 26 are engaged by the other ends of the frames H. By thismeans the sharpeners 16 or 16, may be mounted in operable relation tothe blades of the mower, so that when the mower is operated in the usualmanner, the reciprocation or oscillation of the blades will cause thesharpeners to act thereon and sharpen the blades without removing saidblades from the machine.

The sharpeners 16 and 16 may be made in the form of steel files, or maybe made of stone, carborundum, or in fact any desira-ble whetting orabrasive material that will satisfactorily sharpen the cutter blade.

It is evident that a sickle sharpener is provided that will insure thesharpening of both edges of each individual blade of a cutter-bar of amower, while either in the machine or out.

lVhat is claimed, is

1. The combination with a support, and means for oscillating a mowingmachine knife in said support mounted for oscillation thereon, and meansfor oscillating said knife, of a frame pivoted to the supportand adaptedto rest above the knife, a series of guides carried by the frame, oneopposed to each blade of the knife, and a spring actuated bladesharpener carried by the frame and mounted in each guide.

2. The combination with a support, and means for oscillating a mowingmachine knife in said support mounted for oscilla tion thereon, andmeans for oscillating said knife, of a frame pivoted to the support andadapted to straddle the knife, a series of guides carried at one side ofthe frame, a spring mounted in each guide, and a blade sharpenerpivotally mounted in the frame and having its free end cushionedlyengaged by said spring in the guide.

3. The combination with a support, and means for oscillating a mowingmachine knife in said support mounted for oscillating thereon, and meansfor oscillating said knife, of a frame swingingly mounted to the supportwith relation to the knife, means for locking the same in operablerelation to the knife, and a plurality of spring tensioned bladesharpeners, one to each blade of the knife, mounted in the frame.

1. The combination with a support, and means for oscillating a mowingmachine knife thereon, of a frame pivoted to the support and adapted torest above the knife, a series of guides carried by the frame, oneopposed to each blade of the knife, and a r0- tatably mounted and springactuated blade sharpener carried by the frame and mounted beneath theguide.

The combination with a support, and means for oscillating amowing'machine knife thereon, of a frame pivoted to the support andadapted to straddle the knife,

' a series of guides carried at one side of the frame, a spring mountedin each guide, and a rotatable blade sharpener mounted to swinglongitudinally in the frame and have its free end cushionedly engaged bysaid spring in the guide.

6. The combination with a support, and means for oscillating a mowingmachine knife, mounted for oscillating thereon, of a frame swinginglymounted to the support with relation to the knife, means for locking thesame in operable relation to the knife, and a plurality of rotatablymounted and spring tensioned blade Sharpeners, one to each blade of theknife, mounted in the frame.

Intestimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoafixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES O. HATHAWAY. FRANCIS M. HUFFIXKER. Witnesses A. N. Han), C. N.SKILLMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by,addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

